SWMBO has been obsessed with Beetles all her life. Always promised herself one and now she has finished her Nursing College and got herself a job I fear the time may be looming.....
I sat in one in a showroom the other day and I just thought what a waste of space it was! The dashboard was bigger than my Scenic, it seemed miles from steering wheel to base of windscreen, no idea where end of bonnet was!
Boot would be hard pushed to take a week's groceries!
Is Beetle ownership all about the exterior and the "fun" and "cult" or is it actually a practical car? the one I saw had 30k miles but the bonnet was covered in stone chips - is this normal due to the shape?
Anyone got real life economy figures for 1.6 compared to 1.9 diesel? why is the diesel 100bhp whereas the rest of VAG group is 105?
Any comments good or bad would be much appreciated.
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2007 Seat Altea XL 2.0 TDI (140) Stylance
2005 Skoda Fabia vrS
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one of the guys in work has one, he likes it. The boot is tiny as you say, it feels solid enough. He has one of the more powerful diesels in it (red "d" and red "i") he goes miles in it and I don;t recall him saying its ever gone wrong.
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Whatever you decide; do not buy a 2-ltr one with an AQY engine code.
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why not the 2ltr? seems to be alot of em about
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There are even more AQYs stuck in the dealers workshop - with a diag tech cursing at it!
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Is this the same awful 8v 2 litre which afflicted the Mk4 Golf 'gti'?
The one which drinks like a 2 litre but gives you a staggering 115bhp?
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I somehow managed to get the more powerful tdi (the one that only comes in orange, can't remember what it was) as a courtesy car over a year ago.
Great fun to drive, but rather out dated in terms of spec (you get more on Golfs of the same age). Absolute nightmare to park as you can't see the corners - something to bear in mind knowing the state of most hospital car parks?
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The modern Beetle isn't a Beetle of course.
If you can find a mint late 1300cc real Beetle, and she isn't a silly driver, she will love that and it will serve her faithfully.
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PG, I am sure I could wrap it in a full length of rubber and just call it a "dodgem" car!!!
I must admit I like the looks of it, its just the interior, well, it just doesn't do anything well - poor visiblility, poor use of space only seating for two in rear, switches look awful especially the ones on the door! Although I suppose it has got great headroom ..... although not needed for a 5'5" tall wife!
I would want one with alloys, CD and air con which I think is 3 different "option packs" although I suppose I could fit after market CD and alloys if need be. The Beetle is one of the few cars that actually has alloys that look like wheel trims!!!
Sometimes I think it is better to have the dream rather than experiencing the reality! She might get one and hate it after one month, especially with having to tilt seats to let the kids in the back!
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2007 Seat Altea XL 2.0 TDI (140) Stylance
2005 Skoda Fabia vrS
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Is this the same awful 8v 2 litre which afflicted the Mk4 Golf 'gti'?
The AQY was indeed one of the five different 115PS engines used in the Golf IV. Used from '98 to '04.
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My friend's wife has had the 2 litre version for about four years now. This week, however the passenger's window mechanism started playing up and it had to go into the garage for a new window regulator apparently, a job that took from Tuesday morning to late Friday afternoon to fix, as it took some time to find the necessary part.
However, the job was finally completed at a total cost of £420!! He and wifey were not too pleased at that, I can tell you.
In other respects, they like the car and are thinking of replacing it next year with another one of these Mexican manufactured cars.
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Aren't these Beetles just Mk IV Golf's with some curvy bits bolted on.
I am not knocking them - I am just saying that if you look at any of the Golf range including Leon, Octavia etc then you will gain an understanding of how good (or not) they are.
If your good lady likes em BobbyG then go for it - but as I say they are your normal VAG group car which should be ok in terms of reliability etc - Personally I would just rate them as an average motor - obviously with the Girly looks that attract them to women buyers.
Go for it and enjoy.
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Aren't these Beetles just Mk IV Golf's with some curvy bits bolted on. I am not knocking them
I am. If you want a Golf, Get a Golf or Skoda or Seat.
A real Beetle is a proper, simple car. Any woman who wasn't a fashion victim or a hotshoe/untidy driver would love one once she got to know it. They make a restful, reassuring noise, will cruise at 80 and if properly looked after go on for ever. An all-time classic designed (basically) by Dr Porsche.
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Lud I am sure she would love the classic Beetle. However I think the modern one with PAS, air con, (hopefully) limited maintenance, better crash protection, comfort etc etc would appeal more.
But you have got me wondering now - off to do some surfing on old style Beetles.....
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2007 Seat Altea XL 2.0 TDI (140) Stylance
2005 Skoda Fabia vrS
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Years ago a work colleague of mine had on old Beetle rebuilt to (then) modern levels of comfort for about the price of a good 'modern' car. Luckily for him the car he bought to 'restore' had an old aircooled Porshe engine in the back (all of the back seat area). It also had one of those old anti-nuclear stickers in the back window, but instead of "Atomkraft Nein Danke" it said "GTI Nein Danke"--it made more sense in 1989. It was actually a lovely car inside and by all accounts it was very fast in a straight line. He was a VW Beetle and Type 2 nut though.
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Yeah but, dune buggies apart Baskerville, a non-swing axle beetle in proper nick is a very relaxed and reliable mode of transport. Comfortable and with reasonably predictable handling in sensible hands.
Big VW air-cooled flat fours had a weak bottom end, but up to 1300cc they were fine, rebuildable and anyway very durable.
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Was the 1600 really all that bad? It did pretty well in the Type 2. Going even further back a school friend of mine had a 1303S Beetle, with the 1600 engine and that was much more relaxed on the motorway than the 1300 flat windscreen car she had previously. Both were very tough. I remember the indicator modules on the front wings of both those cars were useful markers of where the front end was; no such luck for the OP and the modern Beetle.
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They are great. My dad bought one in 1965.....1300E I think. Loved it.
VBR..................MD.
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